Denying It
by ncis.is.the.best
Summary: Post Judgement Day. Friends with benefits. Suspicion and confrontation. A serial killer on the loose. A tragedy no one was prepared for. TIVA.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I still don't own NCIS. I wish.

This is a new fic, but another post-judgement day one. And yes, it's a Tiva.

This can either be read as a one-shot or as a prologue and it can be continued.

It's up to you so review and tell me, but I already know where this is going if I continue.

Enjoy.

And please review.

* * *

It was getting late. Tony stopped packing briefly to look out his bedroom window. He watched as the sun slowly sunk, illuminating the skyline with different shades of orange. Red steaks swept across the sunset, contrasting against the bright orange sky. Tony shut his eyes as the image of Jenny lying motionless on the floor of the diner crept into his mind, crimson blood covering her body, her arm lying limply beside her. Tony shook the thought from his mind and resumed packing, looking away from the skyline. Only a moment later, he was startled by a knock at his door. Sighing, he left his bedroom and opened the door slightly, peering through. Before Tony had a chance to say anything, the door was pushed open roughly and Ziva stepped into his apartment without hesitation. She took one look at his bare living room and turned to face him.

"You have begun packing," she stated, for lack of anything better to say.

Tony walked into the kitchen. "Yeah," he said, searching through one of the cupboards. "You haven't?"

Ziva leant against the counter. "I have finished. The rest of my things will be shipped to Tel Aviv next week," she looked over at Tony curiously. "What _are_ you looking for?"

Tony didn't answer and instead kept searching through the cupboards. Ziva walked up slowly and stood behind him, peering into the cupboard. Suddenly, Tony whirled around, knocking Ziva off balance. Reflexively, he put an arm out and caught her to stop her from falling over, resulting in his face being only an inch from Ziva's. He attempted a smile and held up the bottle of alcohol he had been searching for.

"Drink?"

* * *

Ziva woke up the next morning in unfamiliar surroundings. She turned her head to the right, fearing what she might see. The last thing she thought she would see was Tony's sleeping form, snoring softly.

"Tony," she whispered softly, tapping him lightly. When he didn't wake, he tried again, a little more forcefully. "Tony!"

"Mmm?" Tony mumbled, rolling over. When he realized it was Ziva, his eyes widened. "Ziva?"

Ziva nodded and tried to sit up, but quickly lay back down when she was overcome by dizziness. "How much did we drink last night?" she asked, rubbing her head.

Tony shook his head and looked around the room. Clothes were thrown haphazardly around, covering the floor. "No idea."

Ziva sat up, ignoring the pounding in her head and looked at her watch. "Tony!" she hissed. "Get up. It's almost ten."

Tony sat up quickly. "Crap."

Ziva nodded and picked up her clothes, sliding them on quickly. "I have to go."

Tony swallowed. "You regret last night?"

Ziva smiled and gave Tony a quick kiss on the cheek. "Not at all." Then she turned and walked away, stopping at the door of the bedroom only to say one last thing. "Goodbye, Tony."

Tony watched as Ziva left his apartment and closed the door behind her. "Goodbye, Ziva." He whispered.

* * *

A/N: Tell me what you think. Thanks.


	2. Return

Insert disclaimer here

Hey, this is chapter two.

I know it's bad and they get back too quickly, but I needed them back to set up the rest of the story.

Enjoy.

And please review.

* * *

Tony had been on the U.S.S Ronald Reagan almost 6 months. As the sun sunk in the sky each day he marked it off in his diary, remembering that last night at home. The sunset, his house, packing, guilt for Jenny… and then Ziva. He had tried to recall the rest of the night, time and time again, but his memory was scratchy to say the least. Again, he cursed himself for drinking so much that night. His thoughts were interrupted by a member of the crew, Mike, knocking at his door.

"Hey Tony," Mike said, peeking his head around. "You've got a call."

Tony jumped up quickly, narrowly missing hitting his head on the bunk above him. "Thanks, Mike," he said, running past him towards the communications room. Phone calls from Abby and McGee were the only thing that kept him going on this dumb ship. That, and the hope that Ziva would call.

"DiNozzo," Tony said into the receiver breathlessly.

"Tony!" Abby squealed into the phone. Tony pulled the phone away from his ear to maintain his hearing.

"Hey Abs," he said when Abby had stopped screaming.

"Guess what?" she bubbled happily. "Guess what? Guess what? Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?"

Tony thought for a moment, slightly overwhelmed by Abby's enthusiasm. "Uh, I don't know. Tell me."

Abby sighed loudly in mock impatience. "No, Tony. You have to guess."

Tony shook his head and smiled. "Okay then… McGee's pregnant?"

Abby laughed. "Good guess, but no," she paused for effect. "You're coming home!"

Tony opened his mouth in shock. "What… how?" he was at a loss for words.

Abby laughed again. "Vance was ordered by SecNav to rehire you guys. Apparently you had the best solve rate and they saw no reason to split you up in the-"

Tony cut Abby off abruptly. "Does that mean McGee and Ziva are coming back too?"

Abby paused for a moment. "McGee is already back, but we haven't called Ziva yet," she said. "The helicopter is coming for you soon. You had better pack."

Tony smiled a genuine smile for the first time in months. "Thanks, Abs."

* * *

Ziva was relaxing in her apartment after finishing a long-running mission. She knew she should have been happy that it was a success, but she was really just relieved that it was over. Ziva was almost asleep when the ringing of her phone woke her. She sighed and stood up, answering the phone.

"Yes?" she asked impatiently.

"Officer David, your father wishes to see you," the voice of a young male came through the phone.

Ziva sighed. "Okay, I'll be right there," she hung up the phone and left the room, getting into her car and heading straight for Mossad headquarters. She knew her father did not like to be kept waiting. When she reached the building, she walked straight in, stopping only to flash her id at the security guards.

"Shalom Ziva," Uri David said as she walked into his office.

"What is it?" she asked impatiently.

Uri sighed. "Is our relationship so bad that I can't even invite you over for a talk?"

Ziva laughed bitterly. "That is not why you asked me over here."

Uri shook his head sadly. "No," he said. "It isn't."

"Then what is it?" Ziva said, sitting in one of the chairs adjacent to her father's desk.

Uri clasped his hands in front of him. "I received a call from NCIS this morning."

Ziva hid her eagerness and kept her voice controlled, void of any emotion. "And?"

Uri took a breath. "They wish for you to return as an NCIS Special Agent."

Ziva found it harder to suppress her excitement. "Is Mossad allowing me to?"

Uri looked into Ziva's eyes. "I can't lose another child, but I want you to be happy. You have not been happy since you came back to Israel. Is this what you want?"

Ziva looked at her father. "Yes. This is what I want."

Uri cleared his throat. "Very well. Pack your things. You leave next week."

Ziva smiled and stood up, walking to the door. When she reached the door, she turned back to look at her father. "Thank you, Aba."

Uri nodded. "You're welcome, Ziva."

* * *

A/N: Review and tell me what you think. Thanks.


	3. No Strings Attached

Insert disclaimer here

I bring you chapter two. I'm not completely happy with this, but it will have to do.

Enjoy.

And please review.

* * *

Tony rode the elevator up to the squad room later a couple of weeks later, his mood fluctuating between excited and nervous. He had been away almost six months. Had the team changed? Had he, himself, changed? How would Vance treat him? As the elevator doors, opened, Tony took a moment to calm himself and plastered on his usual mocking grin. He stepped out of the elevator with everything about him exuding self-confidence. As he walked into the bullpen the first thing he noticed was McGee, head down, buried in some sort of paperwork. He was different somehow. He had lost a bit of weight and everything about him seemed a little older, wiser… more grown.

"McGeek," Tony said, nodding his head at McGee and sitting down at his old desk. "What'd I miss?"

McGee looked up in surprise. "Tony?"

Tony looked down at himself and back at McGee. "Yep. It's me."

McGee then stood up and did something very out of character for him. He walked straight up to Tony and pulled him into a hug. "I missed you, Tony."

Tony patted McGee on the back awkwardly. "Uh, red light behavior, Probie."

McGee pushed himself away quickly and sat back behind his desk in embarrassment. He was saved from replying as Abby ran into the squad room, her pigtails flicking around her head.

"Tony!" she yelled running straight up to Tony and wrapping her arms around him. "You're back! Oh I missed you so much!"

Tony winced uncomfortably, touched by the gesture, but the need to breath was overpowering. "Same here," he managed, before coughing slightly. "Can't breathe, Abs."

Abby pushed herself away from him quickly. "I am so sorry," she said, her eyes widening.

"It's fine Abby," Tony laughed, looking around the squad room. "Where's Gibbs?"

Abby thought for a moment. "With Ducky."

"And Ducky is?" Tony asked.

"In autopsy."

Tony nodded took a breath. "So, where's Ziva?"

Abby smiled, as if relishing the moment. "Behind you."

Then there was a heavily accented voice whispering in Tony's ear, breath hot on his neck. "Miss me, Tony?"

Tony grinned and turned to face her. "Hmmm, what with the constant death threats and violence? Of course," he said playfully.

Ziva smiled coyly and put her bag behind her desk, dropping into her chair. "Ah, but you love it."

Tony sat behind his own desk and smiled. "That I do."

* * *

Gibbs rode up the elevator to the bullpen, only to be confronted by his old agents, sitting calmly at their desks as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He smiled internally. "It's about time," he said and all three agents looked up. "Gear up, we've got a case."

Tony smiled at Ziva as they grabbed their things and made their way to the elevator. "He hasn't changed a bit."

Ziva laughed slightly. "What did you expect?"

Tony thought for a moment. "Huh, I don't know. Maybe nice."

"Nice?" Gibbs intervened, slapping Tony over the head.

Tony smiled. "You have no idea how much I missed that, boss."

Ziva grinned. "Really?" she asked and slapped him over the head.

"I meant from Gibbs," Tony muttered, glaring at Ziva.

"You mean you do not want to be slapped by me?" Ziva asked innocently.

Tony grinned. "Well, that all depends on where you intend on-"

Gibbs slapped them both over the head. "Hey both of you," he said as they turned to look at him, rubbing their heads.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Shut up and get out of the damn elevator."

Tony and Ziva turned to see the elevator doors open at the garage.

"Right."

Gibbs pulled the keys to the truck from his pocket. "_Special Agent_ David," he said, putting extra emphasis on the 'special agent' and threw the keys to her. "You're driving."

Tony groaned and got into the passenger seat of the car as Ziva inserted the keys into the ignition. "Maybe it isn't as bad as I remembered," he muttered hopefully.

Ziva stepped on the accelerator and Tony hit the dashboard. "I would not count on it."

* * *

"Dead female, mid 20s," Ducky said, looking over the woman on the ground. "Most likely cause of death is strangulation, judging by the bruising around her neck."

"Got a T.O.D., Duck?" Gibbs asked, kneeling to his level.

Ducky pulled the liver probe out and examined the temperature. "8 to 10 hours ago."

Gibbs nodded and left the room as Tony, Ziva and McGee entered.

"Ah," Ducky smiled warmly. "Jethro told me you had returned. It's good to have you back."

Tony nodded and Ziva smiled. "Thank you, Ducky."

Although they would have liked to catch up, all were painfully aware of Gibbs' watching from the doorway. So, as if they had never left, they all sunk back into their old routines and processed the rest of the crime scene.

* * *

"There is no way you're driving back, Zee- vah," Tony laughed, stressing the syllables of her name as he jangled the keys to the truck in her face.

Ziva shrugged and leaned on the front of truck, abruptly changing the subject. "So," she said conversationally. "How much do you remember from that night?" There was no need to specify which night, as they both knew exactly what she was talking about.

Tony shrugged, just as Ziva had. "Absolutely nothing."

"Me neither."

Tony grinned. "What if I suggested we find out exactly what did happen?" he leaned towards her. "Strictly no strings attached of course."

Ziva smiled coyly and leaned into Tony, matching his position. "If you did suggest that…" she pulled away and opened the passenger door, "…then I might just take you up on the offer."

* * *

A/N: See where this is going? Tell me what you think. Review if you want fast updates. Thanks for reading.


	4. Out For Coffee

Disclaimer as usual.

I've finally updated. Claps for me.

Enjoy.

And please review.

* * *

"Tony!" Ziva hissed in a futile attempt to wake the man sleeping in her bed. When she received no reply, she sighed and walked straight to the kitchen, returning moments later with a glass of water in her hand. She didn't hesitate to tip the entire glass over Tony's head. Tony yelped and jumped out of bed, turning angrily to face Ziva, who was making no attempt to stop her laughter.

"Was that _really_ necessary?" Tony asked, wiping the water that was dripping down his face.

Ziva sobered up, still laughing slightly. "No," she said. "But it was definitely _fun_."

Tony sighed and looked Ziva up and down, noticing that she was already dressed and about to leave. "What time do you get up?" he asked incredulously.

"5 o'clock. I have already been for a run, had a shower, gotten changed and eaten. All that time you have slept. Did I wear you out last night?"

Tony grinned. "Not at all, Zee-Vah. I just like to sleep."

"Sure," Ziva said, slapping Tony lightly on the cheek. "I am leaving now. Remember not to arrive too quickly after me. Take your time."

Tony rolled his eyes, walking to the shower. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Ziva grabbed her keys and left her apartment, yelling on her way out. "Lock the front door!"

"Yeah, yeah," Tony muttered, walking to the bathroom. "It's like I'm freakin' _married _or something."

* * *

Tony arrived at the office half an hour after Ziva did, nodding a quick hello as he passed her desk on his way to his own. Ziva nodded slightly in return and turned back to her computer. They had an effective system, really.

They never arrived at work together, kept up the teasing and banter as usual, and managed to get all their work done. Well, Ziva did. As far as they knew, no one had any clue of what was going on. That was the way they planned on keeping it.

* * *

"You got a cause of death, Duck?" Gibbs said as he strolled into autopsy.

Ducky looked up briefly. "I'm afraid it's the same as the last three, Jethro. We are most definitely dealing with a serial killer."

"I know that. Have you got anything else for me?"

Ducky shrugged. "Well not really. As far as I can tell she was tortured, possibly for several weeks, before being strangled to death," he moved over to the x-rays and pointed at one of them. "She had a break in her right ulna, which had begun to calcify, indicating she was kept for at least a week after it was broken. I'm afraid this is the same story as all the other girls. Kidnapped, tortured, strangled."

"Thanks Duck," Gibbs said, leaving autopsy.

Ducky turned back to the young woman on his autopsy table. "You know this reminds me of the time I…"

* * *

"Got anything?" Gibbs asked as he walked into the bullpen. He slowed and looked around. "McGee, where are David and DiNozzo?"

McGee looked up at his coworker's empty desks. He had been so involved in his work that he hadn't even noticed their disappearance. "Uh, I'm not sure. Boss. They were here a minute ago."

Gibbs looked pointedly at McGee. "They aren't anymore."

"Right," McGee muttered, before hurrying to change the subject. "Well I tried to find a connection between the victims, but the only thing that stood out was that they are all women under thirty, who worked for the Navy."

Gibbs was unable to reply before his phone rang. After a few minutes he hung up and turned to McGee grimly. "Gear up, we've got another body."

Just then, Tony and Ziva walked into the bullpen, both with satisfied smiles on their faces. Ziva's hair was slightly ruffled and the top button of Tony's shirt was undone. Neither of these things went unnoticed by McGee. Giibs was more concerned with where they had been.

Tony noticed the questioning look on Gibbs' face and swallowed. "Just went out for coffee, boss. What's going on?"

"Got another body," he said and walked past them to the elevator without another word.

Tony cringed and got his gun and badge out of his desk as Ziva did the same. McGee stood between the two desks with a sly smile on his face. Tony looked up questioningly.

"What do you want, McProbster?"

McGee shrugged and grinned. "That must have been some good coffee, huh?"

Tony stood up straight and walked over to McGee. He made a slurping noise and grinned. "Better than you'll ever have."

Ziva walked out from behind her desk and smiled, raising her eyebrows at McGee, before following Tony to the elevator.

McGee shook his head and followed. That was so not the reaction he was expecting. He expected embarrassment, not jokes.

_Maybe they really did just go out for coffee…_

* * *

A/N: What do you thnk? Review and tell me. Thanks for reading.


	5. Doing It

Disclaimer: As usual...

Review if you want more. 'Cause this doesn't seem too popular.

Enjoy.

And please review.

* * *

"I'll know more when I get her back, but from my preliminary findings I think I can safely say that this is the same case as all the other girls," Ducky said, while examining their latest victim.

Gibbs nodded grimly. "That means he has probably got more girls right now. You said they were kept for several weeks before he killed them, and yet all the bodies we've found have been killed only been a few days apart," he turned and looked around to only find McGee stumbling through the doorway. "Where are they, McGee?"

McGee shrugged, knowing that Gibbs was referring to Tony and Ziva. "No idea."

Gibbs exhaled loudly and turned back to Ducky. "T.O.D.?"

* * *

Tony opened the door of the truck for Ziva to step out. "Madam," he bowed low.

Ziva rolled her eyes and jumped out. "Do not call me that, Tony."

"Sorry, sweetcheeks," he said, closing the door of the truck and pushing Ziva up against it.

"Tony," Ziva warned as Tony pushed he pinned her arms above her head and pressed his lips to hers. Ziva pulled away reluctantly and turned her head to one side as Tony began trailing kisses down her neck. "Not the time, Tony," she gasped out. When she realized he wasn't going to give up, she kissed him back fiercely and began to run her hand up his top. As Tony closed his eyes, she slipped out from under him and walked towards the crime scene.

"Ziva!" Tony groaned, running to catch up with her.

"I am sure you can wait until tonight, Tony," Ziva said coyly.

"I wouldn't count on it," Tony mumbled.

Ziva stopped in front of him and looked up into his eyes. "Do not worry, Tony. I will reward you."

"It better be a pretty damn good reward."

"Is it not always?" Ziva asked, smiling slightly.

Tony had to agree. "Of course," he said as they walked into the house with the dead petty officer.

"DiNozzo! David!" Gibbs yelled, shattering both the agents' thoughts. "Hurry up and process the scene."

They didn't hesitate to get to work, Tony sketching, Ziva taking pictures, neither one of them thinking about anything other than the night ahead.

* * *

Later that day, Tony and Ziva sat in the bullpen, looking over evidence in an attempt to find another link. They were having no luck whatsoever. Whoever the killer was, he was good. Real good. Five bodies and not one shred of evidence.

"Where are McGee and Gibbs?" Abby asked as she walked into the bullpen. Actually, she bounced into the bullpen.

"Autopsy," Ziva said without looking up.

"Oh," Abby said brightly. "I'll just wait here then," she said, sitting in McGee's chair. She quickly got bored, however, and began studying Tony and Ziva. The interesting thing was that every few minutes one of them would look up, followed by the other and then they would both quickly look down, huge smiles on their faces, as if they were sharing some sort of private joke.

Abby grinned. "_Oh_," she said, snapping her fingers. "_I_ get it."

Tony and Ziva both looked up with startled looks on their faces. "What?" Tony asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Abby smiled even wider. "You two are doing it, aren't you?"

"What?" Tony spluttered, spitting his coffee back out.

Ziva meanwhile looked confused. "_Doing it_?"

"You know, doing the hanky panky, screwing, rocking the casbar, doing the bed dance…" Abby reeled off all the names she knew, rolling her eyes.

"What?" Ziva asked, still not quite getting it.

"Having sex," Tony said bluntly, clearing it up.

"_Oh_," Ziva said. "Right."

"So?" Abby asked eagerly.

"So what?"

"Are you?"

"Are we what?" Tony feigned innocence.

"Having-" Abby began, before Gibbs walked into the room. Abby stood up and walked over to Tony's desk. "_Busted_," she whispered. "Don't worry. Your secret is my secret," then she left the bullpen.

"Uh, what did Abby want?" McGee asked as Abby skipped away.

Tony looked down. "You guys. Don't worry. She'll remember and call in 5…4…3…2…1…" When Tony reached zero, Gibbs' desk phone rang. After a moment, he hung up and began walking to the elevator.

"Abby wants to see us."

McGee looked at Tony in shock and Tony shrugged, using a line he had used before. "It's a gift, McGee. I choose not to question it."

* * *

A/N: What did you think? Review!


	6. Reason

Disclaimer: ...

Wow. So it's been a VERY long time since I updated this, but I thought I'd get it going again.

This chapter is kind of short, but you should be able to see the direction in which this is heading.

This is kind of to gauge how many people are interested in me continuing this, so review if you want me to go on..

Feel free to yell at me for taking so long to update. I deserve it.

Enjoy!

* * *

Back from their latest crime scene, team Gibbs were seated at their respective desks. Tony began to summarise in his head:

6 bodies. Female. Mid to late 20s. Worked for the navy. Kidnapped. Tortured. Killed.

Not one shred of evidence. No leads. Nothing.

He banged his head on his desk, frustrated. There _had_ to be another link.

The faces kept running through his head, the names. The lives. Gone.

Ashley Jones. 27. She was the first. Pretty. Tony remembered making some comment about that. How tasteless.

Saskia Janssen. 25. She came two days after Jones. Not pretty, but not ugly. Just average. She had very light blonde hair, long enough to fall past her shoulders, but it was tied up when they found the body. She didn't seem likes someone that would've cared all that much about appearances.

Mai Nguyan. 26. The third. She was Vietnamese, very beautiful. Her long black hair was loose around her face, her features pained, even in death.

Alexandra Dimitriadis. 27. Her body was discovered in a dumpster, grotesquely angled. Tony remembered wanting to move it, but was all too aware of protocol. He pretended not to notice when McGee excused himself quickly and returned pale and washed out.

Anna Richter. 29. Number five. She was found by her uncle. He was so distraught that he had to be led away by the police.

Lin Sung. 28. The most recent. Her face was the freshest in his mind. He shivered.

Then it clicked. And slowly, tentatively, Tony pulled up the files on each of the victims, methodically searching through the text. The look on his face was enough to alert Ziva that he had found something.

"Tony?"

He didn't answer; a pit of dread was forming deep in his stomach.

"Tony?" She sounded concerned now.

He looked up. "Found it."

* * *

The team crowded around the plasma in the squad room.

"I can't believe we didn't see it before. It's so simple." Tony clicked a button. A face covered the screen. "Ashley Jones. Came to America from Britain when she was 13." He clicked again, the face changed. "Saskia Janssen. Lived in Germany until she was 7." Another click. "Mai Nguyan. Vietnam until age 9." Click. "Alexandra Dimitriadis. Moved from Greece at 15." Click. "Anna Richter. Germany, 12." A final click. "Lin Sung. Moved from China at age 10." He turned towards the team. "The guy's a racist."

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee and gave a rare compliment. "Good work, Tony."

Tony nodded and returned to his desk. Ziva followed.

"Nice find," she said and leant against his desk.

Tony grinned. "It really was just simple detective work, Zee-Vah."

"Hmm."

"What?"

She cocked her head to one side. "Just thinking."

"What?" He had a fair idea.

"I'm thirsty," she said simply. "I think I'm going to get a coffee."

Tony nodded slowly. "I'll come."

She grinned. "Okay."

His eyes didn't leave her body as he called out to Gibbs. "Going for coffee."

Gibbs grunted in acknowledgement.

They almost ran to the elevator, neither caring that the doors hadn't even fully closed before he pulled his top off.

* * *

A/N: Thoughts? So who wants more?  


* * *


	7. After Thoughts

Disclaimer: Eh. You all know I don't own it.

Well, I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but it'll have to do.

Review and tell me your opinion. And if you have and writing tips or constructive critisism I'd love to hear it.

Enjoy!

* * *

She was standing at the stove in one of his oversized tees, her long, slender legs stretching out from under the garment. He didn't know why, but guys tops always seemed to look better on women.

She sensed his arrival before she even saw him. "Hungry?"

His eyes raked over her body. "Oh yes."

She sighed. "For food, DiNozzo."

With some effort, he tore his eyes away from her figure and smiled at her. "Sure. What are we having?"

"Just pasta. I am sorry, but it is all you had in your cupboard."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her neck. "It's fine. Thank you." He paused. "But I'd really rather skip dinner."

She pushed him away reluctantly. "You always want to skip dinner."

"That's because there are so much better things we could be doing." He grinned.

She tipped her head to the side in mock-thought. "Like what?" she asked innocently.

"I think you know."

She smiled coyly. "No, really I do not. Enlighten me."

He responded by picking her up in his arms and carrying her to the bedroom, smiling at her childish laughter all the way.

* * *

As he watched her sleep that night, he wondered for the first time if maybe this had turned into something more than just no-strings-attached sex. And that scared him.

* * *

"You okay, Tony?"

He looked up from his desk to look over at Ziva. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She stood and walked over to his desk. "I only ask because you have been staring at that computer for 45 minutes and not typed a word."

"I was thinking."

"That's a first," McGee quipped from his desk.

Tony swung around on his chair. "Shut it, McGee."

McGee put his hands up in an 'I surrender' gesture and turned back to his computer.

Ziva put her palms on his desk, leant in. "What were you thinking?"

"Hmm?" He gave McGee one last glare and turned back to Ziva.

She repeated the question.

Tony studied her for a moment. "It's nothing. You know, I was just pondering our latest case." He leant back in his chair.

She nodded, not completely convinced, but went along anyway.

"Yes, it is quite sick, is it not?"

"You could say that."

Ziva sat on his desk and tapped her chin in thought. "This is really bothering you that much?"

Tony shrugged, seeing the cover she was effectively offering him for his weird behaviour. "Yeah, I guess."

Ziva nodded and walked back to her deak, somewhat worried about Tony.

That was when Gibbs strolled in. "Tony, Ziva, gear up."

Ziva turned towards him. "We have _another_ one?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Abby found a partial the last victim. Matches a Barry Rogers in Virginia. Go pick him up. "

"Address?"

Gibbs handed her a sticky-note. Ziva grabbed her gun and badge, watching as Tony did the same.

"I am driving," she announced, hoping to get something out of her partner.

It disturbed her that Tony barely even noticed.  


* * *

A/N: Thoughts? Good? Bad? Really bad? Give me some feedback. Review!


	8. Not Sick

He's cold. Not cold, but _cold_. He finds himself trembling, not because he's cold, but because he's _cold_.

Just simply cold.

And apparently missing a thesaurus.

Cases involving serial killers were always difficult. Not emotionally difficult; just plain challenging. But then again, he'd never really been all that disturbed by things. Unless of course it required some sort of commitment.

He'd look back on that day and start shaking all over again, wishing somehow it's been different.

He was too late when he made the connection the next day. He didn't expect to see her sleeping next to him that morning; she always went for a run early. When she didn't return he became anxious. Nevertheless, he told himself not to worry. She was probably fine. He'd see her at work, bright and happy. Right?

Then he got to work- late as usual- and she wasn't seated at her desk.

"Boss. Mcgee." He nodded in acknowledgement. "Where's Ziva?"

Gibbs looked up. "Called in sick."

Okay, he told himself, no need to worry. He'd just call in to her place after work to check on her.

The day went by without hassle. They filled out paperwork, went over the case again and again, only to be discouraged by finding no other leads. Gibbs had told them to go home at five, much to the surprise of both agents. His reasoning was simple,

"We've been going over this file for hours and found nothing. You'll work better when you're well rested."

They were still surprised, but left anyway, relishing the early departure.

He picked up a pizza on the way to her apartment, only to be discouraged when there was no answer at the door.

"Ziva?" He knocked. "Hey, you there?"

Still, he reasoned that she was sleeping. Sick people sleep a lot, he told himself. She's fine. Yet, for some reason, he felt compelled to pick the lock to her apartment. He knew she'd kill him for it, but figured he'd distract her with the pizza.

The soft click told him the door was open. He turned the knob and pushed the door inward.

"Ziva?"

He walked into the kitchen, where he was immediately engulfed by smoke. He coughed slightly and hurried to turn the oven off and pull out the contents. The roast was well and truly over-cooked. He left it on the bench and hurried to the bedroom. It was unlikely for Ziva to forget to turn the oven off. Impossible even.

"Ziva, you there?" He pushed the door to her bedroom open. "Ziva?"

Squinting into the darkness, he tried to make out a shape on the bed. He couldn't. Not wanting to turn on a light and risk waking her- if she was there- he crept towards the bed.

Not there.

He flicked on her bedside light and surveyed the room. The bathroom door was open. He walked in with a growing sense of dread.

"Ziva?"

But it was empty. He looked around the bathroom, everything was in place.

That's when his eyes were drawn to the mirror.

Written in lipstick, red as blood, were the words: NOT SICK.

He stared at the words, confused.

If she wasn't sick then why would she... His thoughts trailed off as the pieces fell into place.

Ashley Jones. Moved from Britain, age 13.

Saskia Janssen. Moved from the Netherlands, age 7.

Mai Nguyan. Moved from Vietnam, age 9.

Alexandra Dimitriadis. Moved from Greece, age 15.

Anna Richter. Moved from Germany, age 12.

Lin Sung. Moved from China, age 10.

With one last chilling thought he pulled his phone out, his eyes never leaving the hastily scribbled words on the mirror.

Ziva David. Moved from Israel, age 26.

* * *

A/N: It's been a while, I know. I apologize- All the files I had written for this story were lost when it crashed and it took me a while to decide whether or not I could be bothered writing it all over again. But I'm back now. Sorry again.

Review if you want more.


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